Book Review: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

I first ran across Ian Rankin in a book of his short stories - and I found them quite delightful. He has a quick mind, offers you a few weird quirks, and keeps you thinking until the end.

This novel was no different. This is the last case for John Rebus. He's getting ready to retire (but isn't sure he really wants to - what will he do then???). And then a dissident Russian poet gets murdered, apparently in a mugging.

He goes after this case as he has all others. Talk to everyone, look beyond the obvious, never believe all of what you're told (or maybe not even any of it), don't give up, keep trying to solve them all, not just the case you're working on...

Along the way, he meets the son of a man he incarcerated - who is now a cop. He finds out that nothing is quite like it seems. And his partner is looking for another partner to replace even while they are on this case.

The story is tied to the past and the present both. And while Rebus is mourning the end of his job, his partner is looking to the future and promotion.

It keeps you reading, surprises you along the way, and the ending makes you wish for another book! C'mon, Ian, you can't leave us here - what happens next???

If you'd like to have this advance reader's copy I reviewed, leave me a comment and then send me an email to tell me why you'd like to have it!